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(Updates with latest details on storm speed and location, new
oil facility closures in Gulf of Mexico)
HOUSTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Sally
strengthened off the west coast of Florida on Sunday and was
poised to become a category 2 hurricane, bringing the threat of
dangerous storm surges and high winds to the U.S. Gulf Coast,
the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The storm track was disrupting oil production in the U.S.
Gulf of Mexico for a second time in less than a month. The
Miami-based NHC said the storm was likely to reach hurricane
strength on Monday, and approach the north-central Gulf Coast
late on Monday and Tuesday.
Hurricane conditions were expected by early Tuesday from
Grand Isle, Louisiana to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, including
New Orleans, the center said.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said he had spoken
earlier in the day to U.S. President Donald Trump and had also
requested a federal declaration of emergency in advance of
Sally, which allows for early support from the federal
government.
"We have every reason to believe that this storm represents
a very significant threat to the people of southeast Louisiana,"
Bel Edwards told a news conference.
As of 4 p.m. CDT (2100 GMT), Sally was about 165 miles (265
km) south of Panama City, Florida, and heading west-northwest
with top sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 kph).
Sally is expected to become a category 2 hurricane with
100-mile-per-hour (161-kph) winds by the time it makes landfall
in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday, an official with the U.S.
National Weather Service said.
"VERY, VERY HEAVY RAINFALL"
Sally carried the danger of storm surges - when the ocean
rises at the coast over normal tide levels - of up to 11 feet
(3.35 m), and rainfall of up to 12 inches (30 cm), the center
said.
"The biggest issue here is going to be life-threatening
storm surge and then the very, very heavy rainfall that's going
to accompany this," said Jim Foerster, chief meteorologist for
DTN, an energy, agriculture and weather data provider.
The storm follows Laura, which rampaged across the Gulf of
Mexico three weeks ago and grew into a Category 4 hurricane with
150 mph (240 kph) winds. It shut hundreds of offshore oil
facilities, leveled coastal Louisiana towns and left residents
of Louisiana and Texas without power for weeks.
On Sunday, two more oil companies, BP Plc and Equinor
ASA, evacuated staff from some offshore platforms
following similar action by Chevron Corp and Murphy Oil
Corp on Saturday.
BP said it evacuated non-essential workers from its Nakika
and Thunderhorse platforms in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico,
while Equinor shit its Titan platform.
Laura halted up to 1.5 million barrels per day of output and
a half dozen refineries, two of which are still in the process
of making repairs.
Mandatory evacuation was also ordered in parts of Louisiana
on Sunday.
Further off in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Paulette was
moving closer to Bermuda, and was expected to move near or over
the island on Monday morning, the NHC said. Paulette was
carrying top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was
expected to strengthen during Sunday.
(Reporting by Gary McWilliams
Additional reporting by Joshua Franklin in Boston
Writing by Frances Kerry
Editing by Susan Fenton, Nick Zieminski and Diane Craft)
